In one month, Dallas' newest architectural icon will open its doors. The <a href="http://www.perotmuseum.org/">Perot Museum of Nature and Science</a>, designed by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/thom-mayne/">Thom Mayne</a> of <a href="http://www.morphosis.com/">Morphosis Architects</a>, is a bold new building that reflects the earth's stratified, geological forms. The exterior of the building features innovative textures, while the interior exhibit spaces focus on natural, biological, chemical and physical sciences. The Perot is a building that has something to say about the intersection of nature and technology, instead of merely existing as a blank backdrop for the exhibits inside.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

As visitors approach the new Perot Museum on opening day next month, they'll be struck by the building's dynamic facade.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

With its undulating, geologic patterning, it's almost as if the cube-shaped form was lifted directly out of the earth.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The outer skin of the 170-foot-tall museum is sheathed in more than 650 textured precast concrete panels, giving the building a unique graphic aesthetic.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The concrete used on the exterior panels weighs in at over 4 million pounds.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Inside, the curved concrete paneling continues, carrying the lines from the facade to every floor.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Inside, visitors will step into the grand lobby, which features a Malawisaurus skeleton and an interactive 'dancing water' molecules display that is motion activated.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The lines create visual interest, and when the sun hits the building's different textures, it takes on different shapes.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The building is a testament to recent advances in 3D modeling.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

One of the most impressive features of the building is the <a href="http://www.perotmuseum.org/explore-the-museum/the-theater/index.html">The Hoglund Foundation Theater</a>, which is located on the first floor.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The 300-seat theater features richly textured walls that are lit with LED lights and a state-of-the-art 4K digital projection system.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

From the lobby, visitors can board a 54-foot continuous escalator, which is located in a long glass enclosure.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

One of the most interesting features of the building is the roof -- instead of a traditional green roof, the Perot Museum features a hardscape of stones and drought-tolerant plants that are meant to reflect the Texas ecology.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

To create the unique concrete panels, several different rubber molds were used, which could be moved around to make different patterns.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The escalators only go up in the Perot Museum, and visitors are expected to take the stairs to go down.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The standardized, modular system helped to keep costs down and to keep construction moving forward (the entire budget for the building was $185).

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Although it's as tall as a typical 14-story building, the Perot Museum only contains 5 floors, because the ceilings had to be tall enough to accommodate dinosaur fossils and other large exhibits.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The building is located on 4.7 acres of former brownfield, and it's aiming for three environmental certifications -- LEED, Sustainable Sites Initiative and Green Globes.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

With exhibits ranging from dinosaurs to gems and minerals and renewable energy, the museum should appeal to visitors of all ages when it opens its doors on December 1.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Architect Thom Mayne has described the new Perot Museum as a "living educational tool featuring architecture inspired by nature and science," and indeed it is.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

LEDs are used throughout the building, as well as natural daylighting, to reduce energy costs.

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Perot Museum of Nature and Science

In one month, Dallas' newest architectural icon will open its doors. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, designed by Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, is a bold new building that reflects the earth's stratified, geological forms. The exterior of the building features innovative textures, while the interior exhibit spaces focus on natural, biological, chemical and physical sciences. The Perot is a building that has something to say about the intersection of nature and technology, instead of merely existing as a blank backdrop for the exhibits inside.